When it comes to getting fit and healthy, there is no supplement in the world that can give you the benefits of regular exercise. All you need to do is engage in 30 minutes of a moderate workout every day to stay in great shape, and keep diseases in check.

Good physique, better flexibility, improved posture, and increased immunity are some of the well-known benefits of exercise. But, in terms of long-term benefits, there’s more – exercise can help you become a genius!

“Exercise alone provides psychological and physical benefits. However, if you also adopt a strategy that engages your mind while you exercise, you can get a whole host of psychological benefits fairly quickly.”

— James Rippe, M.D

Here are seven ways of how exercise can make your brain better by boosting your brainpower:

Exercise boosts cell growth

With age, the birth of new brain cells slows down and existing cells start to shrink faster. Exercise can make things better for your brain. Any form of healthy physical activity can refresh your cells and delay their aging, which in turn protects your brain and prevent common memory related problems. Doctors have found that even people over 70 years of age showed considerable improvement in brain-related activities after six months of moderate aerobic training.

Exercise boosts brain hormones growth

Exercise stimulates Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and promotes the growth of new brain cells. This is very crucial for the better functioning of hippocampus, which is the most important part of the brain related to memory because it’s more vulnerable to aging than other areas in the brain. So, the more regular you are with your exercises, the better will be the production of BDNF.

Fights depression and anxiety

Prescribed antidepressants might help to some extent, but again they might not work for some. If you are struggling to cope with depression and anxiety or any other emotional problem, exercise might be the best thing you can rely on. It doubles up as a doctor when the medicines prescribed by your doctor fail to bail you out of trouble. It has been found that exercise boosts the production of dopamine (it’s the brain chemical that controls pleasure feelings like happiness, sadness, and mood), serotonin, and endorphins in the body.

Reduces the stress effects

Exercise releases a protein called BDNF, which helps repair and protect the neurons. In turn, healthy neurons protect your brain from stress. The best thing is, the results are instant. That’s the exact reason why we feel refreshed and happy after exercising.

Improves cognitive skills

Exercise improves the executive functioning of the brain like cognitive skills, thinking, planning, focus, and recall. This includes thinking abstractly, planning events, and recalling (names, places, and incidents). On the whole, it elevates the functioning of your working memory and makes you perform well at your work related tasks.

Increases insulin sensitivity

A number of food and drinks that we take on a daily basis are high in sugar. Excess sugar (or glucose) in the brain can adversely affect your brain in the long-term. The first thing that will take a hit is your memory and thinking ability. However, exercise can help prevent sugar accumulation in two ways: (1) it burns the excess sugar along with the bad calories in your daily diet (2) it reduces insulin resistance. The more controlled your blood sugar levels are, the better will be your cognitive performance and brain health.

Kicks out distractions

If you didn’t know, endorphins are mood elevators. They improve your mood and prevent worries and distractions from affecting your mental functioning when you’re on an important task.

Exercise releases endorphins, which in turn helps in impulse control. This is good for the brain because it becomes more effective in blocking unwanted distractions thereby allowing you to concentrate on your core task.

Conclusion

There are plenty of reasons to exercise and not a single reason not to. Lack of time should never be an excuse to skip exercise. A lot of busy people who work round the clock are setting up their own garage gym to save more time and money to stay fit and healthy. If a home gym is something you’re thinking about, then it makes sense to browse through Garage gym planner which offers a boatload of information on garage gym equipment. I hope you enjoyed our tips on how exercise can make your brain better. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment. Cheers!

About Author

Evelyn helps people to live a happy and healthier life. She is an established Health and Fitness author (over 12 years of experience) and editor of garagegymplanner.com. She also loves writing about people and inspirational stories.